CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR EDITION - DAY 1 OF DECEMBER

GODIVA CHOCOLATES – CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR

My initial thought on the appeal of the Godiva box is somewhat festive with the green background. There is a good amount of Christmas embellishments on the box. The ballerina is quite nice alongside the little mouse, but at the same time, the box is dark and small. I do not think that a child would be eager to open this up for 24 days to the most festive, and exciting holiday of the year, Christmas.. I think that this Advent Calendar perhaps has adults in mind as well. Ease of opening the Godiva Advent Calendar box to obtain the bon bon is not without fuss. It is flimsy, and once the chocolate is revealed, you can see that the opening is not attractive. There are white ripped out parallel lines. Uhhhh! Really, more thought should have been put into these details, regardless of who Godiva is catering to! As for the chocolate itself, the first day being a praline crescent, the melting action is quick, quite smooth, shiny sheen to the exterior of the bon bon. There is an interesting nutty taste, perhaps from the hazelnut ingredient, but that in itself is not enough to give off this strong aroma. Perhaps, some of the sooooo mannny terrible ingredients mixed together produced this nuttiness. I am shocked that Godiva has permitted this much gunk into their chocolates. What a huge disappointment. I have never come across chocolates made with flour of any kind, and glucose syrup infused with more wheat. According to their website, this is a company that prides itself in excellence??? Hmmm, I differ on their claim. This ingredient list speaks anything but excellent. There is so much sugar and variations of sugar, as well as all sorts of oils in the chocolates, which comprises the taste in majority of the bon bons. That is very disappointing for me. Also, what is up with the corn starch? Why, Why, Why? All I see is sugar, flour, and all sorts of terrible oils. I call this a sad, and poor concoction of an Advent Calendar.

Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Glucose Syrup (Wheat), Cream, Hazelnuts, Sorbitol Syrup, Butter Oil (Milk), Sweetened Condensed Milk, Invert Sugar Syrup, Milk, Butter, Water, Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel Palm), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel), Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Skim Milk Powder, Natural Flavour, Apple, Raspberries, Wheat Flour, Cocoa Powder, Passion Fruit Juice Concentrate, Salt, Corn Starch, Cinnamon, Malic Acid, Milk Protein, Lactose, Barley Malt Flour, Artificial Flavour, Pectin, Citric Acid
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 0.4 / 5.0
(the 0.4 point is for the ballerina – he he he)
 
ROGERS’ CHOCOLATES – CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR

Rogers Chocolates Advent Calendar is quite charming. Despite its small size, it makes up in theme and colour. I love the logo of the company name written on the driver side of the 1930’s vehicle. It is super adorable. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the painted faces of the characters. They could have been done with much more care to not only provide a more realistic look, but also to differ each person. They all have the exact same faces. I do understand that they are perhaps a family, but unless they all are identical twins, this is a no no. Not a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind. As for ease of opening the first day of the Advent Calendar, it is completely effortless. That is a satisfactory feeling. The bon bon itself is plain milk chocolate, but of good quality that does not disappoint. It is not overly sweet, has a nice smell of just chocolate, and leaves a pleasant aftertaste in my mouth. The bon bon is smooth in appearance and touch. Overall, a quality plain piece of chocolate not only for the simplicity within us, but also for an individual who appreciates quality. Ingredient list is pleasantly surprised. Everything can be easily pronounced, and I am thoroughly thankful to Rogers’ Chocolates for keeping it simple. Double thumbs up in my Choco book.

Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate Liquor, Soya Lecithin, Vanilla)

Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
 
PURDY’S CHOCOLATIER – CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR

Purdy’s Advent Calendar is absolutely charming. It has colour, vibrancy, a dark purple ribbon in the middle to balance the other light pastel colours out, and best of all, it is a good, heavy size, does not feel petit and flimsy. Once you undo the ribbon, it is like opening French Doors where you can either choose to open them from the left or right. As you glance at the actual interior of the Advent Calendar, the excitement elevates. Just divine. Colours, differently themed icons on each little box, numbered in variations, and the side background reminds me of snowflakes. The white dots in the blue background make me happy. This is truly a flamboyant Winter Wonderland, as the box clearly says. The first  day of the Advent Calendar is a breeze to open. The party sort of ends right there though. Here comes the taste, yes, I have to be the deal breaker. Chocolate is overly sweet. It left my palate with a huge scream for something bitter to balance this sugar infestation out. I could not taste much of the Choco itself. It is lost due to the overpowering of whatever sugar, glucose, corn syrup Purdy’s has stirred into their chocolate concoction. Disappointing! Purdy’s is a well-known company within Canada, and for them to deliver such an intoxicating sweet piece of chocolate can only mean that they either only had children in mind when putting together this Advent Calendar, or that Purdy’s chocolates, in general, are disturbed with pounds and pounds of sugar. I do appreciate their moto that their chocolate has a short life span, and they like to keep everything fresh. However, t due to this lack of quality control for dumping a whole “football field” of sugar in their mix, that moto is just lost and forgotten. Rating points are also deducted due to the lack of ingredient information that Purdy’s just does not want to reveal. Makes me want to go hmmmmm!!!
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Unfortunately, the company did not disclose this information. I will always wonder why!

Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 1.8 / 5.0 (points gone up solely due to the gorgeous theme of the Advent Calendar, you lucked out there Purdy’s)
 
LÄDERACH – CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR
 
The Advent Calendar from Lädearch was ordered by me directly from Switzerland. It was very easy to do, and the shipping cost was surprisingly quite reasonable. They weight everything and charge per that. The customer service was also outstanding. If you are thinking about indulging in these world renowned chocolates, do not hesitate. You will receive them within a 10-day period, perhaps even shorter if it is not near a main holiday, like Christmas. That was my time-line at least. As for the look of the Advent Calendar itself, I must say that I am disappointed. It is not so much by the size, which turned out to be larger than I thought (a good thing), but the whole front theme. It is quite depressing. The dark, grey background is heavy. I think that the colour scheme needs some pastels, softer tones to balance everything out. There are too many melancholy colours infused together such as dark green, alongside the grey, black, and lastly, red. This is an Advent Calendar that is supposed to bring out excitement, and life to children for the next 24 days in December. Unfortunately, I only see a dreadful image. I certainly would not want to open this up, and I can only imagine whether children feel the same. Even the chocolate presented on each day cannot persuade me otherwise. On the upside, I love the 1910’s vehicle that Santa is riding around in. I hope that he gifts me that antique vehicle for Christmas. He He He! Lastly, I do want to point out that Läderach should have made certain that they secure their chocolates, especially during delivery. When I received the Advent Calendar, most of the bon bons were all over the place. Come on now Läderach, get a grip! As for ease of opening the first day - awesome. Nice and easy. Chocolate tasting time, well, this is where Läderach makes up. Wow, Wow, Wow! What a bon bon that I just devoured. It is creamy, smooth in texture, and perfectly sweetened. I feel a complete balance, and my endorphins are now cheery. See, you cannot judge a book by its cover, that old saying is completely true. This piece of bon bon not only feels heavy in terms of weight, but also smells of decadency. It has the most beautiful sheen to it that one just finds irresistible. There is a caramel scent that overtakes all else. I wonder where it is coming from. Perhaps some of the appalling ingredients mixed together produced this aroma. I must say though that I am quite disappointed with the ingredient list. I primarily see sugar, all sorts of oils, some chemical infused gunk, and egg whites, what??? Before I was going to say that this is a complete winner, I need to rethink my final rating. Points are definitely taken off due to the poor ingredients. Nobody wants to eat sugar with oil and egg whites, despite the amount of fancy cocoa incorporated. What was Läderach thinking?

Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Skim Milk Powder, Hazelnuts, Cocoa Mass, Almonds, Plant Oils, Palm Kernel Oil, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Milk Powder, Butter (Milk), Glucose, E-420, Walnuts, Honey, Wheat, Gluten, Milk Cream, Inverted Sugar, Malt, Gluten, Soya Lecithin, E-471, E-322, Natural Aromas, Gluten, Butter Fat, Natural Aromas, E-904, Aroma, Lactose, Spices, Milk Egg White, E-500, Antioxidants, E-306, Colour E-171 AND E-160B AND E-160 A, E-120, E-100,  Palm Wax, Cocoa Powder, Low Fat

Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 1.7 / 5.0
 
DANIEL CHOCOLATES - CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR

Daniel’s Chocolates Advent Calendar makes me feel merry and uplifting. It cannot get any more Christmas themed than this. Red and white Gingerbread Man, Snowman, Gingerbread House, and Christmas Tree, well, you have it all in one box. This screams Christmas all around. How many times did Christmas come up in this paragraph, too many. Now you understand how perfectly holiday themed Daniel has made their chocolates. To top it off, there is a Merry Christmas greeting all around. +++++ Extra points Daniel. The box is sturdy, and heavy enough to allow confidence for the buyers that they get their money’s worth. The downside is that the Advent Calendar is not numbered. This leads me to believe that all of the bon bons are the same throughout. That is not what I signed up for. Oh, wait a minute, look at that. Once I began to take a few boxes out, I discover that yes, the Advent Calendar is indeed numbered. You just have to turn each box around. Once completed, I see that there are 24 little boxes, with numbered variations. Super unique. Taking each box out though is not the easiest to maneuver. It takes some time and patience. There is no ledge to hold on to while picking up each day’s worth of chocolate box therefore, hang in there. The chirpy melody though makes up for the difficulty in picking up each box. I appreciate the work that I need to do for each bon bon. It makes the surprise all that much better. On a chocolate note, good start to Daniel’s Advent Calendar. First day is promising. I just received a full size of a mini-mini bar. Very generous. Wow, this mini bar even has its own ingredient list on the back. I am quite impressed. I am also happy to report that yes, their chocolate taste like chocolate. It is very simple, but that is the whole point. The amount of sweetness is perfect, and I can sense the dry whole milk, which I find refreshing. Very nice. The smell though is not of something extravagant, but instead reminds me of chocolate bars that I have, in the past, purchased from the Dollar Store. Nothing wrong with those chocolates, and I have no issues with people buying all sorts of sweets from there but for a company that prides itself in their quality and ingredients (which by the way, I am happy to report are just fab in Daniel’s case), this itsy-bitsy bar does not smell of excellence but more so of value. I am also left with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Okay, enough now, let’s just get back to the ingredient list – it just makes me grin! No need to report anything further.

Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Dry Whole Milk, Soya Lecithin (Emulsifier), Natural Vanilla

Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
 
KINDER - CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR

Well, well, this Advent Calendar by Kinder is pretty much the same year after year. They love their customer base, and why change anything if it works. Children are aware of their theme, and are attracted to that image over, and over again. Kinder stands behind catering solely to kids. I think that the Advent Calendar is cute, a good size, not too heavy for the little ones to pick up, and I am certain that it makes everyone jaunty, whether you are young or old. The snowman is on a bobsled holding a yellow gift. There are two cartoon characters in the back, ice skating on what looks like a frozen lake. Surrounding them are all sorts of pine trees embodied with lots of snow. This looks like a positive and bright Advent Calendar that I am certain any child will be happy to have. I like the fact that there is a large Peanut Free zone logo on top of the box to emphasize a worldwide concern for children’s allergies to peanuts. I also appreciate their emphasis on infusion with 33% milk ingredients. This is a subtle little sign that highlights care for their products. Ease of opening the Advent Calendar for day 1 is fantastic. Kinder certainly solely has kids in mind as it feels as though the Advent Calendar is for their little fingers. The chocolate is individually wrapped. I am assuming that this has something to do with hygiene as well as for children who normally like to open wrapped up things, like a surprise, or even for them to take along to school or sports activities etc. Like a snack. I do not though, care much for the modified palm oil and anhydrous milk fat (???) ingredients. Why would Kinder feed this to children? Poor choice. I find this little confectionary to be overly sweetened to the point that I think I am eating sugar. Whoa! It is just an abundance of that one ingredient. Unfortunately, it takes away from the cocoa itself but on the upside, I can really taste the milk. Children would think to differ from my opinion as the sweeter it is, the better. I guess that is the whole concept behind this Advent Calendar. After all, it says Kinder, not Erwachsene (Adult). I will let this one go since their motif it is to please the little ones. You are safe for now Kinder, until the name changes, then you have a lot of explaining to do! LOL!!! The thoughtfulness with the peanut free logo is a good emphasis but then why add all of the other gunk?
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Soy and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanillin) Sugar, Skim Milk Powder, Modified Palm Oil, Anhydrous Milk Fat, Soy and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanillin, 33% Milk ingredients
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 2.4 / 5.0
 
LINDT - CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR

The Lindt Advent Calendar speaks high spirits, cloud nine type of content. It is colourful, and cheery. There are all sorts of things going on in the picture, and everyone is depicted as happy and smiley. There are many gifts throughout, a train set up in front, and a Santa ready for chimney climbing. The colour scheme is good, and it somehow works. I also like the size as it feels like a bargain for the price paid. Overall, it is a keeper from a value point. The first day of the Advent Calendar is literally effortless to open. There is a bit of a downside though, not a big one, do not get tense now. The numbers on the days of the Advent Calendar are difficult to see. Children really need to take their time when searching for the appropriate day. I think though that this is the whole point. One must search, and search to find their daily fix of chocolate bon bons, and then devour. It should be challenging and perhaps satisfactory. I believe that Lindt wanted to deliver a sublime message, something more than just an Advent Calendar. Like the game “Where’s Waldo.” You look, and look, and when you finally find him, at least when I do, it is so exciting and exhilarating, as though I have won something, anything really. Great job in that department Lindt. The first day at Lindt was not good, actually terrible. The chocolate tasted absolutely stale. It had the most bitter, almost rancid smell. I initially overlooked this thinking perhaps that my nose must be playing all sorts of tricks on me. Not so fast. My palate agrees. So did all of my other senses. This is just chocolate gone bad. Perhaps an Advent Calendar from last year???? Got you thinking! I cannot even describe it as there is nothing positive about the bite. I cannot rate it properly based on taste as it is a pure zero at this point. The ingredient list is also far from perfect. I am not appreciating the Palm Kernel Oil, nor the Barley Malt Extract. Oh, most importantly, why the artificial flavour? Come on now Lindt, I am sure that you can do better than that.  

Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Sugar, Milk Ingredients, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Lactose, Coconut Oil, Hazelnuts, Palm Kernel Oil, Soya Lecithin, Barley Malt Extract, Artificial Flavour
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 0.4 / 5.0 (a few points for the packaging)
 
SINFULLY THE BEST - CHOCOBLOGMASS ADVENT CALENDAR
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Ohhhhhhhhh, where do I begin with this gorgeousness. Why did nobody else think of this. A three-piece train set with a locomotive, holding 24 days of boxed chocolates that open up like a drawer. Wow, this is sensational. Did I already mention that this Advent Calendar is magnificent, exquisite, dazzling, striking, stunning, elegant, stylish, chic, smart, tasteful, classy, okay now, I am getting carried away. Seriously though, this might be the best looking, and most unique Advent Calendar that I have come across. The green wheels with red and white embellishments, the gold lines, the yellow outlines, the snowflakes on each box; every single thing added to this Advent Calendar has been carefully thought of. This takes some real genius to not only come up with an idea as such, but a real talent to execute. Once the bon bons are devoured, the train can be utilized for whatever your heart desires. The wheels do spin, oh yeah, wow, come on now, seriously! Enough said I think. You get the point as to my feelings for the exterior appeal. This is outright marvellous, and whoever is lucky enough to receive one will just fall in love. Ease of opening each box is super stress-free. Pull out the drawer, and grab your daily goodie! Today, it happens to be is a panda bear. How adorable! Whether you favour Christmas or not, this Advent Calendar will light up your face, and get you in a festive mood. I promise! The chocolate itself though, I have mixed feelings about. The whole bon bon is primarily white chocolate therefore, that might be the reason as to why it is a bit on the sweet side, but not to the point that it is intolerable. A decent bite. The chocolate itself is hard to gnaw into, but this might be purposeful. The panda needs to have a face, and if the Choco is too soft, that would be not be feasible. I do appreciate the individualized wrapping for the first day of the Advent Calendar. Points are taken off due to lack of ingredient information, and mediocre taste.
 
Chocolisciously Delightful Ingredients: Unknown

Chocolisciously Delightful Rating: 3.7 / 5.0